


Sharp Dressed Dog

by notgeorgelucas



Series: Life on Air Temple Island [22]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Gen, holiday fun fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-20 15:34:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13149645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notgeorgelucas/pseuds/notgeorgelucas
Summary: Another ten-second tale in the life of Kuruk, the polar bear dog, his wonderful mistress who loves him, and that bald-headed guy (who Kuruk's certain is up to no good). In this chapter...well, who wouldn't want to be seen in his very best sartorial splendor?





	Sharp Dressed Dog

“PEMA!” Tenzin’s outraged voice boomed throughout the house. Pema sighed, set her knife down and cleaned her hands. Spirits only knew what the problem was this time, and the longer it would take to resolve, the longer the children would whine about how their morning meal was so delayed. She loved her family and her life, but sometimes…

“What is it, dear?’ she asked pleasantly as she reached the front hall. Tenzin was standing beside the open front door, glowering over at her polar bear dog Kuruk, who for his part was simply sitting there expectantly. “Is there a problem?” she asked calmly.

“Problem?” Tenzin boomed, that odd little vein atop his head throbbing. “I have had this door open for five minutes, letting all the cold air into the house, but your dog refuses to go outside and do his business! Go on, you! Outside!” Pema could swear the dog snorted derisively in reply as he refused to budge.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” she assured her husband. “He just wants his sweater, that’s all.” She opened the hall closet and retrieved a huge blue garment. “Here we go, Kuruk. Let Mommy put it on you. Good boy!”

“…his what?” Tenzin finally managed to get out.

“His sweater. Susa knitted it for him,” Pema explained patiently as she threw the bulk of it over the dog’s back. She knelt down to retrieve the free end and pulled it up around his tummy so that she could button it up. “Almost done, Kuruk! Let me get the sleeves buttoned…There! Now go outside and do your business, that’s a good boy.” The polar bear dog beamed and practically strutted out the front door, proudly showing off his fashion accessory.

“Sweater,” Tenzin said in an utterly stupefied voice.

“Yes, dear,” Pema confirmed. “His sweater.”

“…why?” Tenzin demanded.

“Why what?” Pema asked.

“Why did she make him a sweater?” Tenzin was clearly having trouble grasping the concept. “He’s a dog, for spirit’s sake--a polar bear dog! They’ve got all that fur to keep them warm! They don’t need sweaters!”

“I know that and you you know that, but you know Susa,” Pema explained. “She just loves to knit, and one day she looked at all the blue yarn she’d accumulated and decided to make Kuruk a sweater.”

“But…how did she get his measurements?” Tenzin demanded. “I mean, look at the size of him—and she’s, what, a hundred or so? She has trouble getting around, much less…”

“Kuruk sat very still for her, and Ryoko was more than happy to assist her,” Pema informed him. “She had it finished in three days and brought it up—I mean, she’s so old that she’s not really able to do much else, and from what they tell me she doesn’t sleep more than a few hours a night. Anyway, Kuruk let Ryoko put it on him and Susa told him what a handsome boy he was, and since then he won’t go outside without his sweater.”

At that moment Ryoko appeared with Kuruk’s morning bucket of fish. “Hey, big guy,” she called to him. “Breakfast…hey, looking good today, aren’t you?” The dog barked proudly before plunging his snout into his meal.

“I don’t believe this,” Tenzin groaned, shaking his head. “I…Pema, didn’t you tell Susa it didn’t make any sense to make that for him?”

“Now Tenzin, Susa is one of the original acolytes,” Pema placidly said. “She’s so sweet to everyone, and Kuruk adores her. I thought it was a very kind and thoughtful gesture, and you have to admit he does look very good in it. By the way,” she added. “Is that the new cloak I had them make for you?”

Tenzin blinked, thrown by the question. “Why, yes,” he nodded, lifting an arm up to display the fabric. “I received it yesterday and decided to break it in right away.”

“They did such a wonderful job on it,” Pema cooed. “It’s a beautiful shade of red, and the stitching is perfect. It looks so good on you! I’ll have to compliment the seamstresses next time I see them! And,” she added coyly, “I have to say it makes you look so wise and distinguished, I might get all caught up in the moment and forget that today is Acolyte Panty Check this afternoon…”

“What? Well,” Tenzin cleared his throat authoritatively. “We’ll just have to check on that then, won’t we? I have to go, dear. I have a class to teach.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek and headed out, a definite strut to his steps.

In the meantime, Kuruk was happily getting a warm-handed rubbing from Ryoko, who kept telling him what a handsome boy he was in his sweater, and didn’t he look so fine and distinguished? Yes, he did! Who was her good buddy, hmmm? And who was his favorite firebending acolyte who warmed her hands as she rubbed his tummy?

Pema sighed and shook her head. “They’re all alike,” she muttered as she headed back to the kitchen.

**Author's Note:**

> This one was co-written by my wonderful wife, who went so far as to give me the story hook. She's more or less the guiding force and co-plotter of everything I write, but this time I wanted to make sure she was credited for the idea.


End file.
